


As the Needle to the Pole Turns

by Asheru



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-02
Updated: 2011-07-02
Packaged: 2017-10-20 23:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/218263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asheru/pseuds/Asheru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Daniel,” Jack said, with a sigh, “how come you still have such faith in human nature?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	As the Needle to the Pole Turns

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set near the end of season 5, before season 6. It started off as a late, late birthday gift to Ali and Zoot, and as always is dedicated to Quercus, who is my inspiration angel. Thank you also to Quercus, Ali and Sheryl for their hard work in betaing this, the story is much better for it but any faults remain my own!

The noise was incredible, a bone deep, teeth jarring rattle. Around them, the Hercules groaned and shuddered, struggling under the heavy weight of equipment and personnel. Jack could only hope that lip-reading was one of Daniel’s many linguistic abilities.

He reached out a heavily gloved hand to pat Daniel briefly on his knee. “You O.K Daniel? You’re looking a little green,” he shouted above the roar of the engines.

Daniel nodded miserably.

“We’re almost there!” Jack mouthed back, knowing full well that McMurdo was still six hours away.

Daniel looked unconvinced, but willing to be distracted. “Do you know why it’s called Antarctica?” he shouted at Jack, leaning forward until their knees touched.

Jack did know, but if it kept Daniel’s mind off his current misery, he was perfectly happy to be told again. “Tell me!” he commanded. Beside him Carter also leaned forward, waving a hand as if answering a question in class.

“Opposite the bear!” she shouted, narrowly avoiding hitting Teal’c as he returned to sit on the bench opposite her. Teal’c raised an eyebrow, obviously uncertain whether she was talking about him. The engine noise dropped abruptly to a more tolerable level.

Daniel nodded approvingly at her before continuing. “It comes from the Greek, ‘Antarktikos,’ meaning ‘opposite the bear’ - the constellation above the North Pole. The Greeks knew the world was a sphere, so they reasoned there had to be a southern polar continent to balance what was known of the northern world, otherwise the world would be top heavy and fall over.”

“Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down,” supplied Jack, helpfully.

Daniel narrowed his eyes at him. Jack was never sure which references to American popular culture Daniel would get; sometimes he seemed as clueless as Teal’c. Or maybe he was just trying to get a rise out of Jack, playing wilfully dumb back at him.

“Um… sorta. Though the Greek ideas about balance and harmony were a little more complicated than that,” Daniel said after a pause. He looked as though he was about to launch into a lecture on Greek philosophy, but Teal’c successfully diverted him.

“Did the Greeks ever come here?” he asked.

“Not as far as we know,” said Daniel. “It’s one of the last places on earth to be explored properly.”

“We still don’t know that much about it,” said Carter, succinctly summarising her earlier briefing.

“But we’re going to find out a whole lot more,” said Jack with a conspicuous lack of enthusiasm. It was Halloween, and SG1 was missing all the fun back home to go trekking off into the middle of snowy Nowheresville, just because Carter had a hunch about some anomalous readings they couldn’t verify without freezing their asses off. And the worst of it was they had to sneak in there on the sly, pretending to be geeks – all because they didn’t want the Russians to find out what their research base was really up to.

“Come on Jack, it’s not going to be that bad,” said Daniel.

“We’re missing Halloween,” replied Jack, as if that explained everything. Daniel looked at him curiously.

Jack would never have admitted it, but Halloween was one of his favourite times of year; being held to ransom by miniature versions of Sokar and his minions was light relief compared to dealing with the real thing. There had been a couple of years after Charlie when no trick or treaters dared to knock at his door – the house was too scary perhaps, or maybe their parents had warned them off. In the end he’d put a bucket of candy out on the front porch, an offering to the gods of childhood, and after that the spell had been broken.

Working for the SGC meant celebrating Christmas by eating turkey flavoured MREs on whatever godforsaken lump of rock they’d gated out to that week and holding birthday parties three months after the event. Sometimes he wondered what kept them going, Daniel most of all. Curiosity was a factor, certainly, but there had to be something more than that, binding Daniel to them after the death of Sha’re, and the disappearance of Shifu. What was he still hoping to find? Or who?

Jack’s cell phone beeped, making him jump. It was Sanderson at the research base.

“Trouble, sir?” asked Sam.

“Weather’s rough - we’ve got to stay at the base overnight before heading out to the base tomorrow. Sanderson’s arranged accommodation,” said Jack.

“You’re looking more cheerful,” Daniel noted, cautiously.

“We’re invited to a Halloween costume party,” said Jack with a grin.

Daniel looked worried.

“Hey, we’ve got the rest of the flight to come up with outfits,” said Jack. “What about that slave number you wore to the summit?”

“Lou’taur,” said Daniel. Jack looked at him blankly. “Lou’taur, not slave.”

“Whatever – it would make a great Halloween costume,” said Jack.

“Damn, and I didn’t bring it with me,” said Daniel, deadpan.

“You forgot it again?” exclaimed Carter, pulling a disappointed face.

“And I suppose you packed that Shavadai outfit – Mongolian really worked for you…” Daniel shot back.

“Smoke and mirrors, guys, smoke and mirrors,” said Sam, laughing.

“Kids! Kids!” Jack said, holding up an admonishing hand. “Think of it as a team exercise. We’ve got five hours, the contents of our kitbags, and anything else we can scrounge from cargo. Gotta be easier than making a DHD from scratch.”

“You said we were almost there!” said Daniel.

“We are,” said Jack, unabashed. “Relatively speaking. If I didn’t know better I’d say Gate travel’s made you soft!”

Daniel shook his head disbelievingly, but dragged his knapsack down from the overhead rack and started rummaging through it. Jack beamed at him. The trip had just got a whole lot more entertaining.

* * *

It was still light when they touched down at Williams Field, but then during the summer months it never really got dark. It started to snow as soon as they got out of the plane, making it hard to tell where the ice on the runway stopped and the sky began. The four members of SG1 waited patiently in the freezing cold, surrounded by people shouting and yelling as they unloaded their luggage and equipment. After a few minutes, a bright orange bus came out of the white horizon towards them on huge fat wheels. As it got nearer Jack could just make out the words “Ivan the Terra Bus” painted on one side. It slowed to a halt and the driver leapt down from the cab, wading into the hullabaloo. Several visitors obviously recognised him even under the layers of padded clothing, and he was enveloped in a round of hugs and handshakes, people bouncing off each other and laughing, the sound shockingly loud in the icy air. Somehow everyone managed to get into the bus, Jack standing wedged in between Carter and Teal’c, Daniel half buried under their equipment at the back. The windows steamed up immediately, making Jack wish he’d taken a off a few layers before getting in. Carter looked up at him with mischief in her eyes.

“Bit warmer than last time we were here, sir,” she said. He’d been wondering how long she’d last before bringing that up.

“You’ve just been waiting for another opportunity to watch me freeze to death,“ said Jack.

“I wouldn’t be so unkind, sir,” said Carter, looking aggrieved. Jack eyed her suspiciously but let it rest, concentrating on staying upright as the bus made its saltatory progress along the muddy road into McMurdo.

“Next stop, Hotel California,” the driver shouted over the din.

“That’s us!” Jack yelled, and the four of them climbed out of the back with a couple of others. Hotel California turned out to be more of a hostel than a hotel, with four bunks to a room, and one bathroom per floor. A big sign warned them that showers were rationed to 2 minutes per person, per day.

They stacked their kit in a heap at one end of the room and crowded round the tiny window. They were on the fourth floor, and below them McMurdo stretched out like the frontier town it was, only instead of horses, people came riding in on Snocats and Ski-doos.

“I guess we’d better check in with the sheriff,” said Jack, dryly. “Confirm our travel arrangements for tomorrow.” The others nodded without complaint, though Daniel had already got his outer jacket half off.

Someone pointed them in the direction of the station manager’s office, a little further up the street on the same side. They hurried through the snow as quickly as they could, but Jack was still chilled to the bone by the time they got there. Inside was a hive of activity as the latest arrivals registered in, were given handbooks and directions and set off again into the blistering cold. SG1 waited their turn, Carter striking up a conversation with a Russian scientist about meteor astronomy, Daniel joining in at the mention of rocks. Teal’c stood impassively behind them, earning a few startled looks from passers-by.

They finally got to the head of the queue, and at the mention of their names the clerk ushered them into the station manager’s private office, a tiny box room out the back. The manager turned out to be a jovial Canadian who leapt to his feet to shake their hands. On the wall behind him, improbably, was a large stuffed moose head decked with fairy lights. When he spoke, his head was framed by antlers.

“Hi, I’m Jim Martell, but everyone calls me the Mayor. Welcome to McMudhole, as we like to call it this time of year. I understand you’re here to visit your research site in the dry valleys?”

Jack nodded; he doubted that anything remained truly “hush hush” in such a small community, but officially the investigation into the area where the original stargate had been found was funded as an ongoing enquiry into the lifecycles of Antarctic algae, and they were under orders not to let anyone think anything different.

“That’s right sir, we’re just fascinated by fungi,” Jack said, with a small smile.

Martell laughed, but obviously knew better than to press further. “Well, if the weather improves, we’ll fly you out there first thing tomorrow. You’ll be coming to the party at the dining hall tonight? It’s one of the highlights of the McMurdo social whirl!”

“I think the fungi can wait, sir,” said Jack.

“Excellent! A word of warning, though – if you’re thinking of going as Captain Hook, that one’s already spoken for,” Martell continued, reaching into his drawer to produce a convincing looking metal hook.

“Tinkerbell’s still free I hope?” enquired Jack, managing to keep a straight face.

Martell looked him up and down, speculatively. “That would be worth seeing, right enough.”

Beside him, Carter stifled a snigger, and even Daniel’s lips were twitching.

“Good, good, we’ll see you later tonight then!” said Martell, waving them towards the door. “Starts about eight. No use waiting for it to get dark, you’ll be here till March.”

They said their farewells and headed back to the hotel, spurred on by the prospect of a two-minute shower each before supper.

* * *

Seven o’clock saw them heading towards the dining hall with the intention of grabbing something to eat before the fun started. Everyone else seemed to have had the same idea - either that or they couldn’t wait for the party to begin. As they walked through the entrance lobby, outer layers were being shed all around them to reveal a wild array of gaudy costumes. Some people must have spent the entire Antarctic winter sewing on sequins.

It looks like a Goa’uld convention in here,” whispered Daniel as three Egyptian goddesses and Dracula walked past.

“Daniel, that’s not kind,” said Jack, then nudged Daniel’s elbow to point out the spitting image of Apophis after the Elvis diet.

“Thank God we opted for something low key,” said Sam, gingerly taking her bow out from a large canvas bag. Daniel had had the brilliant idea of the four of them going as characters from Greek mythology, requiring minimal props, easily made out of spare bits of packing material and other odds and ends. Sam, with the bow, was Artemis. Teal’c had disguised his staff weapon as a trident, and made an imposing Poseidon. Daniel was Apollo, with a cardboard lyre, and Jack was Zeus, a lightening bolt slung over one shoulder in place of his P90.

“Food, I smell food,” said Jack and led his team into the dining hall. The meal was surprisingly good, though Jack was disconcerted to find that the Mars bar he was given for dessert had a sell-by date nearly ten years before. The werewolf beside him told him not to worry, food lasted well beyond its normal life in Antarctica; they were still working their way through canned stuff from the 1970s.

After dinner they had time for a quick stroll around the facilities, past notice boards announcing everything from sewing circles - “Stitch’n’bitch!” - to welding courses. Then someone shouteed for people to come and give a hand clearing the hall, and everyone piled in to help. The excitement was infectious, and Jack found himself humming along to an early Motown number as he shifted tables and stacked chairs. He looked across to where Daniel was helping a serious looking brunette drag a box full of beer over to an impromptu bar.

“That’s our Daniel, always making friends,” said Carter, appearing beside him.

Teal’c broke off a conversation with a hobbit in snow boots to whisper in Jack’s ear, nodding at the brunette. “I am told she’s what is called “an Antarctic 10.”

“A what?” said Jack.

“Someone who is quite beautiful in Antarctica, but only a plane ride away from being ordinary,” said Teal’c.

Jack snorted. “Do me a favour, don’t tell that to Carter.”

He looked more closely at the woman. She really wasn’t bad looking, and she’d obviously said something to make Daniel smile – that big, goofy grin he seemed to reserve only for complete strangers these days. Jack remembered when Daniel had looked at him like that, in the days before he’d started to treat Jack like an unexploded land mine. Then Daniel caught his eye across the room, and that puzzled frown was back. Jack waved a hand as if to say “It’s nothing, just checking the perimeter,” and Daniel went back to his conversation.

There was an influx of people, someone turned the music up and the party began. The four members of SG1 drifted towards the bar, and Jack bought the first round, blanching a little at the price of beer. A tall skeleton bowed decorously in front of Carter and asked her to dance in a heavy Russian accent; she inclined her head and handed her beer to Teal’c.

"All Soul’s Day,” said Daniel, watching Sam dance with her ghostly companion.

"All Saint’s Day,” Jack replied, showing his Catholic upbringing.

“Of course, it goes back further than that,” said Daniel, taking another gulp of his water.

“Samhain,” said Jack, just for the look of surprise he earned.

“The Celtic new year,” Daniel agreed. “A magical time when the seasons turn, and the dead walk again among the living.”

They fell silent again, Jack trying not to think of all the dead men in his personal acquaintance he’d rather not see walking. “I’m going to get a breath of fresh air,” he said.

“I’ll come with you,” offered Daniel, just as Sam appeared to pull an unresisting Teal’c onto the dance floor.

Outside the snow had started falling in earnest, making it impossible to say whether it was night or day. Jack automatically looked up to where the moon should have been. “I read an article that said we would never have made the scientific discoveries we have if we hadn’t been able to see the stars,” he said, shivering inside his thick jacket.

Daniel nodded. “Time.”

“Navigation,” Jack replied.

“Relativity.”

“Atomic structure – or at least, knowing that the atoms in our bodies came from stars,” said Jack, suddenly whimsical.

Daniel shrugged his shoulders eloquently. “We would have got there in the end, just the same.”

“Daniel,” Jack said, with a sigh, “how come you still have such faith in human nature?”

“I haven’t spent my life in the military,” said Daniel. “Or had to do the things you’ve done.”

“I’m not sure that’s a compliment,” said Jack, turning to walk back into the entrance hall.

“It wasn’t intended as an insult,” said Daniel, catching him up. “That training has saved my life more times than I care to remember.”

Jack hung his coat up, at a loss for words. He felt a warm hand touch the back of his neck, a blessing or a caress, feather light. Involuntarily, he bowed his head, accepting the benediction. Then the hand fell away, and he turned to find Daniel looking at him, strangely solemn.

“You don’t owe me anything, Daniel,” Jack said.

“I know that,” Daniel replied, softly.

For a moment, Jack thought Daniel was going to say something else, but then the door to the dining hall opened and the mood was broken by the unmistakable sound of the Bee Gees, castrati for their age, celebrating staying alive.

Jack smiled at Daniel. “Did you know Teal’c has been teaching himself to dance by watching old John Travolta videos?” he said, as they walked into the hall.

“Oh God, no,” said Daniel. “You should have stopped him.”

“I think he’s doing rather well,” said Jack, spotting Teal’c in the crush.

“I think we can do better,” said Daniel, just as the music changed to a fifties jive number. Ignoring Jack’s protests, he steered them onto the dance floor where Carter and Teal’c were giving their all.

There was something achingly sweet and wonderful about dancing in broad daylight in what looked like a school canteen. Teal’c whirled Sam past Jack, the sound of her shocked laughter floating over the music as he swung her deftly over one hip, tilting her head back until she nearly touched the floor. Carter would be a “10” on any continent, thought Jack as Teal’c lifted her up, twirling her round so that she spun into Daniel’s arms. Daniel caught her, laughing, and the two of them hand jived, vying with each other to come up with the most ludicrous movements. Teal’c watched them with lofty detachment before leaning in to scoop Sam up again. The record ended and Teal’c escorted Sam to the bar as an old reggae number started up. Daniel rolled his shoulders as if shaking out the day’s travel, then started to dip and sway to the music, his eyes half closed, picking up the rhythm with a boneless grace that made Jack feel stiff and awkward in comparison. Jack found himself staring at the roll and flex of Daniel’s shoulders, the thin cotton of his T-shirt stretched taut across Daniel’s body. Then Daniel lent forward and placed his hands lightly on Jack’s shoulders, slowing him down to match his own languid rhythm before letting go. Pleasure washed over Jack as the two of them synchronised, dancing as close together as it was possible to get without touching, hidden in the middle of the crowd. Jack lost track of time, wanting that rare synchronicity to go on forever, but eventually the record ended, and Daniel waved him towards the bar, smiling one of those killer smiles.

They finally got back to their room after midnight by Jack’s watch. The four of them shuffled around each other, stripping down to inner layers and climbing into their bunks in a square dance long choreographed by practice. Jack lay awake for a while, listening to the deep even breathing of Teal’c in Kel’no’reem and the sound of Sam turning over in her sleep. On the bunk opposite him, he could just see the outline of Daniel’s head, turned away from him towards the half light still coming through the blinds. It was foolish, and forbidden, but he imagined tracing the outline of Daniel’s neck, running his fingers up into the hairline. The thought was soothing, and before he knew it, he fell deeply asleep.

* * *

“Oh, look, Teal’c, penguins!” Carter tapped the window of the helicopter, pointing out a line of black and white figures the size of pepper mills along the shoreline below.

“Indeed,” Teal’c turned his head to look down.

Jack looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a line of penguins, looking up at them as they flew over. All traces of yesterday’s snowstorm had disappeared, leaving the day clear and bright.

“I bet you don’t know where the word “penguin” comes from,” Jack said to Daniel.

Daniel opened one eye cautiously, and then shut it again. “I don’t know,” he replied.

“Daniel, I’m shocked. Disappointed. I thought you knew the entomology of everything,” said Jack.

“Etymology,” said Daniel, irritably. “Unless you think penguins are insects.”

“Admit it, you’re just dying to know,” said Jack, as the helicopter banked sharply, throwing Daniel against his shoulder.

Daniel grunted. “Go on, it will take my mind off flying in this glorified goldfish bowl.”

“A sixteenth century Welsh sailor called them ‘white head’ – or pen gwyn,” said Jack, with satisfaction.

“Ah yes, of course,” said Daniel, trying to sound as if he’d known that all along. “Are we going to be there soon?”

“Nearly there, Daniel,” said Sam, her nose still pressed to the window. “It’s an amazing landscape, I didn’t get a chance to see it properly last time.”

Jack looked over Carter’s shoulder at the valley below, one of the few areas in Antarctica not covered by snow. Large frozen lakes pocketed the lunar surface, brilliant white discs set into brown rock. The helicopter swooped lower, and the silver geodesic dome of the research centre came into view, right on the edge of the ice sheet.

“I hope they’ve got the coffee on,” said Jack.

They waved the helicopter off, and headed towards the dome. Jack was the first one through the outer door, wondering vaguely why no one had come out to meet them. Then he saw that the inner door was hanging off its hinges, half burnt away by something all too familiar. A zat blast, as out of place in Antarctica as a polar bear. Jack flattened himself against the wall next to the gaping doorway, motioning to the others behind him to do the same. He pulled off a glove and felt the burnt edge of the door. It was still warm. Putting his kitbag carefully on the floor, Jack took out his P90. Carter followed suit, and Daniel thoughtfully put his glasses on and reached into a jacket pocket for his automatic. Teal’c took up position opposite Jack, staff weapon at the ready. None of them had said a word since coming through the outer door. Teal’c nodded at him and the two of them pushed quietly through the remains of the door, into the half-light of room within. It was deserted. Jack beckoned Daniel and Carter to follow them in, and the four of them crept across the room, eyeing a row of empty jackets hanging on one wall. They reached the main lab, and found signs of a struggle, chairs and benches overturned, papers strewn across the floor. A giant fist had buckled two of the computer monitors, and a muted sound of protest was coming from a third. Carter looked back at Jack to check what they should do next. He pointed first one then two fingers at her, indicating to the right – take Daniel with you, and then nodded at Teal’c and the two of them crept back into the corridor, heading deeper into the dome.

It took them an hour to search the interior of the base. There was no sign of the four research staff, no bodies, no messages. Whatever had happened had happened fast, and taken them completely by surprise.

“What do you think?” Jack asked Teal’c, as they checked outside the dome. Inside, Carter and Daniel were trying to salvage some information from what remained of the computer system.

It appears to have been a planned attack, with a specific objective,” said Teal’c, bending down on one knee to look more closely at the faint tracks in the dust. He got up and strode another ten paces, Jack following closely behind, gun at the ready.

“I believe they used a variation of the ring transportation device to arrive and depart undetected,” Teal’c continued, pointing to a shallow circular indentation in the ground.

Jack looked up at the sky. “That means there’s a ship somewhere near here – why didn’t we know about it?”

“I do not know, O’Neill,” said Teal’c, also scanning the horizon.

“Whatever they were up to, they must have thought it pretty important to risk pissing the Asgard off,” said Jack.

“Indeed,” said Teal’c. “Or perhaps they are renegades, who do not respect the treaty.”

“And the research staff?” Jack asked, already knowing the answer.

“Very likely dead,” said Teal’c, grimly.

“Right,” said Jack. “Just when I was thinking this was going to be a milk run.”

Teal’c looked at him quizzically, but Jack merely waved him back towards the dome. “Let’s see how Carter and Daniel are getting along,” Jack said, leaving the inevitable explanation until later.

“Any luck?” Jack asked as they walked back into the lab.

Carter looked up from the screen. “We’re still working on it, sir. I’m guessing whoever attacked this base must have thought they were on to something. It’s in here, somewhere, I just have to…ah!”

“What?” said Jack and Daniel, both trying to look over her shoulder.

“The readings I was telling you about, they’d pinpointed the source,” said Carter, pointing to a map on screen.

“Those readings… remind me again, what they were about?” said Jack.

Carter opened her mouth to speak. Jack held up a hand. “And remember our discussion about Ockham’s Razor…”

Daniel blinked at him over Sam’s head. “Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate?” he asked Jack.

Jack looked at him blankly.

“Keep it simple?” Daniel translated.

“That’s the one,” Jack replied. “So Carter. In words of less than three syllables please.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “OK. We know that the earth’s core acts like a bar magnet, running between the north and south poles. Currents of molten iron at the centre create magnetic fields known as Van Allen belts. These fields protect the earth from harmful things like solar storms.”

“Van Halen, I remember,” said Jack.

“That’s a rock group,” said Sam, taking a deep breath before continuing. “The research base discovered by accident that this magnetic field has suddenly started to weaken at an exponential rate, near to the original location of the Antarctic gate.”

“But the gate isn’t there anymore,” said Jack. “We took it back with us.”

“That’s right,” said Sam. “It may be a complete coincidence. Or… it may be that there is something else that we missed, affecting the magnetic field.”

“Something that would explain the sudden interest of the Goa’uld.”

Carter nodded.

“Something that you’ve just found the co-ordinates for,” said Jack.

“Yes, sir,” said Carter, looking back at the screen. “The epicentre of the gap in the field, about 80 kilometres south east of us.”

“And gaps in the magnetic field are bad because…?” Jack asked.

“If the field weakens sufficiently, the poles may flip over, so north becomes south and vice versa,” said Carter.

“Damn weebles,” said Jack. “Does it matter which way up the planet is?”

“No, not really. The problem is the drop in field strength as the poles reverse. If the field were to disappear altogether, we would be exposed to far greater levels of radiation than we are now. It’s thought that the failure of the magnetic field on Mars was what led to its atmosphere being boiled off,” Carter explained.

“O…kay,” said Jack. “I get the not good picture. Anything else I should know?”

Carter sighed. “Communications are down. It’s not equipment failure as far I can tell – I think it’s some sort of localised interference.”

“So it’s going to be up to us to find out what’s happening,” said Jack, with a grimace.

“No changes there,” muttered Daniel under his breath.

Jack looked sternly at him. “So this mission just got a whole lot more interesting. Recommendations?”

“Sir, if we can find some form of transport, I think we should check out the origin of the fluctuations. I’m assuming the base has ski-doos. We could get there in a few hours if the weather holds,” said Sam.

“Wait a minute,” said Daniel, frowning. “How can we be sure we’re going in the right direction if navigation is affected?”

“Good point,” said Jack, looking at Carter.

“The field is not completely down, only weakened. We should be still be able to use compasses,” said Sam.

“Should. As in, may be able to, or definitely?” said Jack.

“As in, for the moment, yes, but if conditions get worse then possibly no, sir,” said Sam.

“Great,” said Jack. “Well, it’s not going to do us any good sitting here. Anyone else got any suggestions?”

Daniel and Teal’c shook their heads.

“OK. Teal’c, we’ll go and see what passes for transportation in this neck of the woods. Carter, we’re heading out in under an hour, make sure you have all the info you need. Daniel, I want you to make a pile of anything you think might be useful to take with us, then we’ll see how much we can carry,” said Jack. “And that does not include books,” he added as an afterthought. Daniel raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“And be careful – I don’t think they’re coming back but we don’t want to be caught off guard!” Jack said.

“We’re on it,” said Daniel, heading purposefully towards the kitchen.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, they set off across the ice sheet on two ski-doos, each dragging a sled laden with equipment. Even for a short trip they had to take a surprising amount of gear; tents in case they had to stop to take shelter, food and water, fuel, and of course their kitbags and weapons. Carter was leading, with Teal’c crammed onto the back seat of her ski-doo. Jack and Daniel followed, Jack driving.

The ice covered wastes of central Antarctica spread out ahead of them, a vast scoured white surface, empty as far as the eye could see. The sky was a deep even blue, criss-crossed by thin white clouds like jet trails. Even at the snail-like top speed of the ski-doo, Jack felt as though he were flying, riding the dips and furrows in the powdered snow like air currents. Odd how life kept giving him second chances to pass the same tests – he had nearly frozen to death here before, and now here he was again. He followed Carter round a shallow dip in the ice. Behind him, he could feel Daniel lean into the bend, balancing their weight. It was something like dancing, swaying into the curve. He looked back over his shoulder and briefly gave Daniel a thumbs up, barely able to see his eyes beneath the goggles and helmet.

They managed to cover 60 kilometres in three hours, when suddenly the sky clouded over completely, turning the heavens as white as the ice below. The wind picked up, carrying flecks of snow that inserted themselves through tiny gaps between Jack’s gloves and his jacket, and down the back of his neck. A storm was coming. Carter looked back at him, her anxiety plain to read even at 20 feet. He signalled to her to stop and caught up with her, cutting the engine.

“Sir, we’ve still got another hour’s ride,” Sam shouted through her helmet. “I don’t think we’re going to make it before the storm hits.”

Jack nodded. “We don’t want to get caught out in the open, better set up the tents and sit it out.” He turned round but Daniel was already unpacking their tent from the sledge.

The next half hour was a frantic rush of activity, setting up two small pyramid tents side by side, dragging essential equipment into them and trying to nail down everything else outside. Jack took one final walk round the edge of the tents as the wind picked up, wondering how well the thin fabric would withstand a blizzard. The world had turned completely white, making it impossible to tell land and sky apart. He shivered, only too glad to see Daniel stick his head out to wave him into the nearest tent. He crawled through the narrow opening, sealing it shut behind him. Daniel had already managed to light a small portable stove and was warming up a pan of coffee. It smelled wonderful.

“Sam said she was thinking of having a women-only tent, but then she saw how small these are and took pity on Teal’c,” said Daniel, with a smile.

“She only wants him for his body heat,” said Jack, crouching down next to Daniel. He took his outer gloves off and held his hands out towards the fire.

Daniel rummaged around in his kitbag and produced a thermal cup, into which he poured some of the coffee. He magnanimously handed it to Jack first.

“Damn, I’m sure I ordered a double decaff skinny latte with a sprinkling of nutmeg,” said Jack, sniffing the steaming black liquid. Daniel reached out to take it back.

“Nuh uh, it’ll do, at least until they get a Starbucks out here,” said Jack, holding the cup out of reach.

“We’ve only got one cup,” said Daniel.

Sam poked her head through the entrance, a flurry of snow whistling behind her.

“Carter, it’s COLD! Shut the door!” said Jack.

“We’ll trade you some chocolate for some coffee,” said Sam, holding out a chocolate bar winningly.

“You’re on,” said Daniel, handing over a pouch of coffee. “Are you sure you don’t want to trade tent partners too?”

Sam laughed, a little too evilly, and backed out into the blizzard again.

“Daniel, I’m crushed,” said Jack, handing the cup back. “And I was just going to ask if you’d remembered to bring the travel scrabble.”

Daniel took the cup and refilled it. “Give it up, Jack, your vocabulary is never going to be as big as mine.”

“Oooooo, bite me,” said Jack, starting to laugh.

Daniel looked at him, amused. “I didn’t know you were a ‘Buffy’ fan.”

“I have my hidden shallows,” said Jack.

“I’ve never doubted it,” said Daniel, unwrapping the chocolate.

The small heater had transformed the tent into a snug burrow. Jack stood up at the highest part and struggled out of his thick outer coat and hat, his arms stiff from steering the ski-doo. He felt exhausted, every muscle taut and aching. Daniel looked up at him thoughtfully, and unrolled one of the sleeping bags alongside his side of the fire.

“You look tired, Jack, why don’t you stretch out for a bit, I’ll keep watch,” Daniel said. The tent walls rippled as the wind picked up. “Not that there’s much to see.”

“Thank you,” said Jack, quietly. “I’m not quite an OAE yet.”

“OAE?” asked Daniel.

“Old Antarctic Explorer, so I’m told.”

Daniel chuckled and sat down on one end of the sleeping bag, leaving space at the other end. After a few more bone popping stretches, Jack edged round to the quilt and sat down, dragging his pack across to support his back. They were silent for a moment, listening to the wind howl and the faint hiss of the heater. Jack felt his eyelids begin to droop, and shook himself awake.

“So, Daniel, tell me something fascinating,” said Jack, asking for a story.

Daniel smiled, and reached into his kitbag, triumphantly producing a pocket guide to Antarctica.

“You are such a tourist,” said Jack, raising an eyebrow.

“Research, Jack, research,” said Daniel. “Now, do you want to know something fascinating or not?”

“OK,” said Jack. It wasn’t like they were going to get cable anytime soon.

Daniel thumbed through the pages. “The interior of Antarctica is the world’s biggest desert,” he said.

“You should be right at home here then,” said Jack. Daniel nudged him reprovingly with his boot.

“A sun-loving bird, the Arctic Tern, makes a 20,000 mile round trip each year from pole to pole to enjoy perpetual daylight in each region.”

Jack snorted. “20,000 miles? You made that up.”

Daniel tapped the page.

Teal’c stuck his head through the entrance to the tent, his hat crowned with snow.

“Shut the door!” Jack and Daniel cried in unison.

“Major Carter wants to know whether you have any rope,” said Teal’c, shouldering his way into the tent. He seemed to fill every corner of it, like Alice after drinking the growing potion.

“What for?” asked Jack. Daniel rooted through their equipment pile, triumphantly producing a coil of nylon rope.

“She needs to respond to a call of nature, and does not want to get lost in the storm,” said Teal’c, taking the rope.

“Tell her I’m not sure that’s wise,” said Jack, but Teal’c was already backing out of the tent into the blizzard.

“Poor Sam,” said Daniel, finding his page in the book again. “I’m hoping the storm won’t last that long.”

“Another thing they don’t tell you in that ‘seek out new worlds, and new civilisations’ recruitment spiel,” said Jack.

“To boldly go…” started Daniel, and then they were both rolling around with laughter, Daniel imitating the sound of the transporter, Jack the “whoosh, whoosh” noise of the bridge doors opening and closing. Eventually the wave of hysteria passed, leaving Daniel lying on his back coughing and spluttering. Jack crawled over to him and looked down at his clever face. “You are completely cracked,” he said softly.

Daniel tilted his chin up, challengingly, staring Jack down. Their gaze held for a moment too long, long enough for Daniel to see something in Jack’s expression that Jack had never intended to reveal. Jack closed his eyes, feeling acutely exposed. He heard Daniel draw in a sharp breath, and then felt a bare hand cup his jaw, guiding his face closer to Daniel’s. Down, down, Jack felt himself leaning over him, the movement dreamlike, and when he opened his eyes again Daniel was still staring intently at him, as if he had never seen him before. The word “No” was forming slowly in Jack’s mind, but did not make it to his lips before Daniel’s mouth had captured his, hot and dry and tasting of chocolate. Daniel held him gently in place, linking his hands behind Jack’s neck, deepening the kiss into something sweet, and surprisingly tender. Jack wanted more, wanted to sink into that warm embrace, lose himself in Daniel and never find his way home. With superhuman effort, Jack pulled himself away, returning to his half of the quilt.

Next to him, Daniel raised himself up on his elbows, looking dazed. “What just happened?” Daniel whispered, wiping his lips with the back of his hand.

“I don’t know,” said Jack, quietly. He wished desperately that he could walk away, go outside, I may be some time…

Daniel sat up, careful not to touch Jack. “I’m sorry,” he said. Jack nodded, still speechless. He had never, not even in his most secret thoughts, considered that Daniel might actually desire him. The needle had swung from north to south, and Jack was no longer sure which way was up. He looked at Daniel, who was the very picture of misery, staring intently at his boots.

“Aw, crap,” said Jack.

“No kidding,” said Daniel, with feeling.

Jack shuffled awkwardly round so that he was kneeling in front of Daniel, narrowly missing the fire. Daniel looked up at him uncertainly.

“You have nothing to apologise for,” said Jack, and before Daniel could say anything else, he leaned in, framed Daniel’s face with his hands and poured all his confusion and desire into one passionate kiss. Daniel groaned in frustration when he pulled away a second time.

“We have to wait out the storm,” said Jack, the ambiguity of his words not lost on Daniel. They retreated to a respectable distance, and Daniel picked up his guidebook again.

“No rain has fallen in the Dry Valleys in approximately one million years,” Daniel read, his voice only slightly shaky.

“Oh, God,” said Jack, putting his head down on his kitbag.

* * *

It was another hour before the storm died down, two before they were packed up and on their way again. Daniel had silently taken the driving seat and Jack was too tired to argue with him about it. He needed time to think, to focus on the mission, but his gaze kept returning to the Daniel’s outline in front of him, obscuring everything else. Jack shook his head, irritably. They were in the middle of one of the most dangerous terrains on earth, and he could not afford to be distracted. He squinted through his goggles at the vast whiteness ahead. After several lifetimes of seeing nothing, he gradually made out a dark jagged shape rising out of the ice. Carter had speeded up and was heading directly for it. As they got closer he could see it was a massive outcrop of rock, rising up into a rough point. Curiously, the deep brown stone was entirely free of snow and ice, making it stand out even more in the desolate landscape. They slowed to a halt a little distance from its base and got out of the ski-doos.

“Carter, I take it this is what we’ve been looking for,” asked Jack.

“Yes sir,” said Carter. “This…rock appears to be exactly at the centre of the readings.”

“Daniel, what do you think – is it natural?” said Jack.

Daniel scanned the rock thoughtfully. “It looks like a nunatak.”

“A what?” asked Jack.

“The top of a mountain sticking up through the ice sheet. Like an iceberg in reverse – what we’re looking at is just the tip, the rest of the mountain is buried beneath the snow,” said Daniel.

“Any idea how big it might be?” asked Jack.

“It could go down several miles, it’s impossible to tell,” said Daniel.

“Let’s take a closer look,” said Jack, and the four of them started off towards the base of the rock.

“O’Neill,” Teal’c cautioned, pointing to two bodies lying in the snow ahead of them. They edged up to them, weapons at the ready, but the Jaffa were long dead, their faces already encased in visors of ice.

“Well, unless the Jaffa we found near the gate have been up and walking, I think we’ve got company,” said Jack quietly. “Any idea what killed them?”

Carter leant over the bodies. “Some sort of energy blast, sir – there is evidence of severe radiation burns.”

Teal’c knelt down beside them. “These wounds have not been caused by any Goa’uld technology that I am aware of.”

“Right,” said Jack. “So there’s another player besides our usual friends.”

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Daniel studying the rock face intently.

“Jack, there’s some sort of inscription here,” Daniel called.

“Open sesame?” asked Jack, hopefully.

“I’m not sure,” said Daniel. “It looks like the writing of the Ancients. I can’t quite make it out.” He beckoned to Jack to join him. “Look at this – does it mean anything to you?”

Jack and the others walked over to the rock face. Jack squinted at the lettering obediently, but without much hope. “Daniel, the Asgard dug that shit out of my brain years ago.”

“Just try,” said Daniel, patiently. “I think this word is something like…overseer,” he pointed at the lettering with his gloved hand. Jack looked closer, and to his surprise, a word came into his mind.

“Guardian,” said Jack.

Daniel smiled broadly at him. “Yes! Good – what else do you see?”

Jack looked more closely at the writing.

“Numbers. I think these are numbers,” he said hesitantly.

“Read them out, sir,” said Carter.

“1,1,2,3,5,8 – then they stop.”

“Fibonacci sequence,” said Carter. “Show me where they are.”

Jack pointed to the numbers on the rock.

“I wonder if…” Carter took off one of her gloves.

“Er… Sam, are you sure that’s a good idea?” said Daniel nervously.

Carter ignored him, and pressed her palm first against the 1 and then the 3.

A cone of blue light enveloped the four of them, and in the next instant they were deposited inside a large metal box, lit by dim red lighting.

“Um…” said Daniel, and there was sudden jolt throwing them hard onto the floor.

“We’re moving,” said Jack, when he could speak. He pulled himself slowly to his feet. The others were struggling to stand up around him. He reached down and hauled Carter up with difficulty, finding it hard to breathe. “You gotta lay off those doughnuts, Carter,” he said.

Carter snorted. “If only, sir.”

There was a faint hissing sound. Carter looked up at the ceiling. “I think it’s pressurising,” she said. A moment later, Jack’s ears popped.

The sensation of falling became less acute. “We’re slowing down,” said Jack. “Be ready – we’ve no idea what’s out there.”

There was a slight bump, and after a moment, one wall of the box melted away completely with a crackling sound, bringing them face to face with four heavily armed Jaffa. Jack quickly held up both hands, indicating to the others that no one was to fire.

“Oh good,” said Jack, grimacing. “A not so welcoming committee.”

“Put down your weapons,” said the lead Jaffa.

“Nice to meet you too,” said Jack. He slowly laid his P90 on the floor. The other members of the team did the same. One of the Jaffa darted forward and scooped the weapons up, eyeing Teal’c curiously as he did so.

“You will come with us to our lord,” said the lead Jaffa, and they were quickly hustled out of the lift into a gleaming metal corridor. After a few minutes’ walk, they passed through a doorway into an enormous cavern.

Jack heard Carter whistle softly. Ahead of them, stretching out as far as the eye could see was row upon row of gargantuan columns, supporting a ceiling so far above them it was barely visible. The columns were covered in moving script, dancing symbols blinking on and off in different colours as they spiralled up to the roof. A low hum filled the room, punctuated by the occasional booming noise. The floor was covered with a soft gold coloured metal, reflecting the glittering lights on the columns above onto the distant walls.

“This is amazing,” whispered Daniel to Jack. “Like the throne hall of the Persian kings at Persepolis”. As usual, Jack had no idea what he was talking about, but he had to agree, it was an astonishing sight. There was also something naggingly familiar about it, as if he had been there before.

The Jaffa behind them nudged Jack none too gently in the back with the end of his staff weapon. “Move,” he said and Jack reluctantly tore his eyes away.

They crossed through another door at the far end and came out into a large brightly lit room, filled with large screens on which more of the same writing was scrolling continuously. A lone figure stood with her back to them at the far end, looking at one of the screens. She turned round impatiently at their entrance, irritation plain in every line of her body.

“Osiris,” said Jack, with more calm than he felt. “How nice of you to drop by.”

“What are you doing here?” Osiris hissed. She surveyed the group, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw Daniel.

We live here, what about you?” said Jack, interposing himself quickly between her and Daniel.

“Silence!” said Osiris, pointing one gold covered hand at Jack. Two Jaffa pulled him out of her way. Jack closed his mouth.

Osiris paused in front of Daniel, a calculating expression on her face. Jack felt his hackles start to rise. Daniel must be cursed with the worst ex lovers in history, he thought.

“Daniel Jackson,” Osiris said, wonderingly, looking him up and down. “The robes of a lou’taur were far more becoming.” She reached out and took Daniel’s chin in an elegantly manicured hand. Daniel tried to cringe away, but she held him fast, pulling his face inexorably down to hers. When Daniel realised what she was intending to do he started struggling in earnest, but it was too late.

“Don’t do this,” Daniel pleaded, but Osiris merely tilted her head up delicately, matching her lips to his. After a few seconds he stopped struggling, and Osiris let go of him with a triumphant smile.

“You belong to me, Daniel,” whispered Osiris, running her hand lightly across Daniel’s chest, her fingertips scratching across the fabric of his outer jacket. “You always have.”

Jack struggled against the grip of the Jaffa. “Your presence here is a violation of the treaty between the system lords and the Asgard,” he said, desperate to get Osiris’s attention.

Osiris turned back to him, her eyes blazing. “Be silent!” she said, an arc of yellow light leaping out from her right hand, felling Jack to his knees. The pain was blinding, and Jack heard her next words as if from the bottom of a well. “I am not bound by the petty compromises of that snivelling bunch of appeasers,” said Osiris. “Take him away – take all of them away except this one.”

Jack cracked an eye open long enough to see that she was pointing at Daniel.

“Keep them under guard,” said Osiris, and Jack felt himself being hoisted to his feet by the two Jaffa. He could barely stand, let alone resist, and it was all he could do to send a reassuring look in Daniel’s direction. Daniel frowned at him, as if trying to remember who he was. We’ve been in worse situations, Jack thought, just before passing out completely.

* * *

Consciousness came back slowly, accompanied by a feeling that someone had scooped his brains out and filled his skull with melon balls. He felt a cool hand brush his forehead, and gingerly opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor and Carter was kneeling next to him, her face a concerned blur.

“How are you feeling, sir?” she asked softly.

“Peachy,” said Jack, wincing. ”How long was I out?”

“A couple of hours. We’re in some sort of store room, under guard,” Sam whispered. He looked past her and could just make out Teal’c standing by the door.

Memory came flooding back, making him gasp. He had failed Daniel, delivered him into Osiris’s clutches as surely as if he’d gift-wrapped him with red ribbon. Daniel, who trusted him. Daniel, who had kissed him as if he were the most wonderful thing in the world. Jack struggled to sit up. “Daniel?” he croaked.

“No sign of him yet, sir.”

Jack propped himself up against the nearest wall, his mind racing. This was why the rulebooks said you shouldn’t get involved with a member of your team, he thought ruefully. He closed his eyes and forced himself to think.

“Sir, are you sure you’re all right?” asked Carter. Waiting for orders.

Jack opened his eyes again. “Have you worked out what this place is for yet?” he asked.

“No, sir. The technology – what little I’ve seen of it, is like nothing I’ve seen before. It must be using a tremendous amount of power, but I’ve no idea where the energy comes from,” Sam replied, shaking her head in frustration. “I can’t believe it’s been under our noses all this time.”

“It’s well hidden,” said Jack, gratefully accepting a flask of water from Teal’c. “Maybe it was here before the pole froze.”

“Maybe,” said Carter thoughtfully. “It’s amazing that it can withstand the pressure of the ice. It must be buried deep within the mountain.”

Jack looked up at Teal’c. “Any ideas what Osiris is doing back in the neighbourhood?”

“She appears to be operating unilaterally. Her Jaffa bear the marks of several system lords, and have either been seized by force or recruited by stealth,” said Teal’c.

“I guess she’s got something to prove after being stuck in a jar for thousands of years,” said Jack, rubbing his forehead ruefully.

“Osiris is still remembered by the system lords as an extremely skilful tactician, able to set even the strongest allies at each others’ throats in order to further his own objectives,” continued Teal’c.

“Slippery bastard, huh,” said Jack, with a sigh. “Wonder what joy he-she-it has in store for us.”

“I think we are about to find out,” said Teal’c grimly, nodding at the door. He reached down and pulled Jack up to standing.

The door opened to reveal Daniel, accompanied by two Jaffa. He was dressed in the Goa’uld version of haute couture – brown leather trousers and boots, and a black mesh T-shirt under a soft suede waistcoat. A wide gold amulet covered one arm from wrist to elbow, the metal moulded to his skin as if it had been poured over it. The other members of SG1 stared at him astonished; he seemed to tower over them, his skin gleaming in the half darkness of the tiny room. Daniel met their regard with an expression of deep disdain.

“Damn, I wish I had your tailor,” whistled Jack softly.

Daniel ignored him, gesturing to the Jaffa who took a step forward, raising their staff weapons. “You will come with me,” said Daniel.

Jack sneaked a sideways look at Carter, who shook her head slightly. So they were not dealing with a Goa’uld. He looked warily back at Daniel, waiting for some sign, but Daniel turned on his heel and walked back out into the corridor. Jack and the rest of the team had no alternative but to fall in behind him, Jack trying not to notice the way the leather flowed over Daniel’s muscular legs as he strode ahead. Behind them, the two door guards joined the Jaffa Daniel had brought with him, their chain mail clanking as they marched down the corridor. The strange procession continued on for several minutes, Daniel confidently retracing a route back to the room where they had first seen Osiris.

When they got inside, they found Osiris staring at a holographic representation of a blue planet projected into the centre of the room. Letters and symbols floated around the display, in a complex and changing pattern. Jack decided that remaining silent was definitely the best option; besides, some of the figures dancing round the simulated globe looked worryingly familiar. He frowned in concentration, half watching Daniel, half studying the hologram.

Daniel came to a halt beside Osiris, bowing his head. In a low voice he murmured, “My Lord, the prisoners.”

Osiris raised a hand to clasp Daniel’s shoulder in a vice like grip. He flinched slightly, turning his head away to deflect a blow or a kiss. Jack winced in sympathy. What had Osiris done to Daniel while Jack had been unconscious? The Goa’uld slowly let go, running her fingers down Daniel’s arm over the amulet. Daniel paled as her hand traced the metallic curves. “You have served me well,” she said, her voice soft, intimate, knowing. Jack wanted to kill her.

“I live for your pleasure,” said Daniel woodenly, his face still averted.

Osiris smiled, a slow feline snarl. “And now you will die for it.” She turned Daniel’s face towards her for one last kiss, holding him fast. When she released him he stayed where he was, eyes shut, swaying slightly.

Osiris walked to a screen near the entrance. Pausing in front of it she tapped in a sequence of symbols, her fingers moving in a faster than human blur. Immediately, the room was plunged into darkness, lit only by the revolving hologram of the earth. Slowly the letters and symbols depicted on it came to a halt, and then started to fade away. A low but urgent warning sound came from the screens around them, now equally devoid of writing.

Osiris turned back towards them, her eyes glowing in the half-light. When she spoke, her voice was as dry as a desert wind, infinitely old. “Bow down before me, for I am the Lord of Eternity, Un-nefer-Heru-Khuti, whose forms are manifold, and whose attributes are majestic, lord of the Hidden House, the creator of Het-ka-Ptah and of the gods therein. Prepare yourselves for your journey into the Underworld.”

Despite himself, Jack shivered. How many people had gone to their death hearing those words?

Osiris beckoned the Jaffa to her, and within an instant they were surrounded by the rings of a transporter, disappearing before anyone could make a move. The warning sound got louder, and Jack felt a faint tremor underfoot. Beside him, Daniel slumped, and would have fallen to the floor if Jack had not caught him in his arms.

“You back with us Daniel?” Jack whispered into his ear, unable to stop himself from stroking Daniel’s back through the soft fabric. Daniel leant against him for a moment, then straightened up, shaking his head like a dog coming out of water.

The lights came back on, and the warning siren changed from a continuous hum to a staccato shriek.

Jack looked at Daniel, willing him to snap out of it. Welcome back to what passed for normal - they were stuck inside a mountain with alarm bells going off.

“Daniel,” Jack said, raising his voice over the din. “I don’t suppose you know what the fuck is going on?”

“The Ancients built this place to regulate the earth’s magnetic fields,” said Daniel, slowly, running a hand through his hair distractedly. “Osiris discovered its existence from texts on another world, and has been down here for weeks trying to figure out a way to turn it off, hoping that will lead to the earth’s destruction.”

“Looks like she’s succeeded,” said Carter, tapping the blank screens in vain.

“The Ancients created this to protect the people of the T’auri?” asked Teal’c, wonderingly. “They must have considered this planet to be of great importance.”

“Or maybe we’re just part of a giant experiment,” suggested Carter.

“Let me guess – and the answer’s 42?” asked Jack. Teal’c looked at him curiously. Jack shrugged his shoulders - another explanation for later.

“Sir, if Daniel’s right then we need to find a way to turn this back on, and quickly,” said Carter.

Jack nodded and turned back to Daniel, who was atypically silent. “Daniel, ideas?”

Daniel frowned. “My memory is…sort of blurred.” He walked over to the screen Osiris had been using. “She had decoded part of it – which was why the field had started to fluctuate… but she couldn’t translate the last part. I think I helped her…but I can’t remember how.”

Jack came to stand by him. “Try harder,” he said.

Daniel hesitantly stretched out his right arm, still encased in the amulet. The metal glowed, and a bolt of energy leapt across the gap to the screen. It slowly flickered to life, but instead of continuously scrolling, the symbols appeared frozen. The warning siren switched off abruptly.

“I can’t remember what they mean,” said Daniel, frustrated. “Jack, you’ll have to help.”

“I’m a colonel, not a linguist,” said Jack.

“Well, we’ll just have swap roles for a bit,” said Daniel, with a small grin.

Daniel was right of course. Jack closed his eyes, trying to clear his head. He swayed slightly, and felt Daniel’s hand against his back, supporting him.

“Are you all right?” asked Daniel, anxiously.

“It’s been a long time since lunch,” said Jack. He opened his eyes again. “I’ll live.” He looked more closely at the screen, trying to let the patterns sink into his mind without a conscious filter. Carter handed him a small notepad and pen from her pocket and he slowly began to write down what he saw – not that it made much more sense in English. He gave her the first sheet of paper and they began to work.

Ten minutes later, Sam stood up from where she had been laying the sheets of paper on the floor, and took a step back.

“I think I’ve found something,” she said.

Jack stopped looking at the screen with relief. “How to turn it back on?”

“Well, either that, or how to blow it up completely,” said Sam.

Jack winced. “Can you narrow it down a bit more?”

“Not without running a simulation, no sir,” said Carter, pinching the bridge of her nose tiredly. “I don’t think this thing was designed to be turned off. We’re going to have to jumpstart it with energy, like a car with a dead battery. But I need direct access to the power source.”

“I know where that is,” said Jack, surprising himself. It was disturbing, discovering that the Ancients had imprinted his mind so deeply with their knowledge that even the Asgard couldn’t get it out; like finding someone had hidden elephants in the attic.

Jack led them back down to what Daniel had called the throne room. It was eerily silent, the symbols frozen into place on the vast columns. They walked through the tall forest to the centre, where they found a sunken amphitheatre leading down to a central platform. The four of them climbed down the steps to stand in front of it, unsure what to do next. Carter extended a tentative hand towards it.

“Do not touch that,” said a cross voice, as if telling a three year old off for putting their fingers in a light socket.

Jack turned in the direction of the sound, and was astonished to find Thor standing behind them.

“Why have you turned the regulator off?” the Asgard asked.

“We didn’t,” said Jack. “Osiris did.” Even to his ears he sounded like a petulant child.

“Ah,” said Thor. “So the Goa’uld have discovered another secret of the Ancients. Pity.” He drifted over to the platform and keyed in a sequence with long bony fingers. A moment later, the hall shuddered, and a fine layer of dust drifted down from the ceiling. One by one, the columns sprang back to life, until the room was filled with flickering light once more.

“You are not ready for this knowledge,” said Thor. “You must promise me that you will not come here again, nor disclose the whereabouts of this place to anyone.”

“But Osiris…” said Jack.

“Leave Osiris to us,” said the Asgard. ”Do I have your agreement?”

“But Thor, this technology is incredible – it completely changes everything we thought we knew about the earth’s natural history,” started Sam.

Thor held up a hand. “I will not always be here to assist you – you are lucky I was within range of the warning signal this time. You must promise me.”

Carter sighed. Jack could sympathise with her frustration, but Thor was right, it was too high a risk.

“Okay, okay, we agree,” said Jack, looking round at the rest of the team, who all nodded their reluctant assent. He turned back to Thor. “Now is there any chance of a lift home?”

* * *

They gave Siler a nasty moment by arriving unannounced in the gate room. Luckily he saw the funny side after recognising Daniel in his latest party outfit and the rest of them in heavy polar gear. True to their promise, they told Hammond only half the story - the part about Osiris taking Daniel cloothes shopping and Thor giving them a lift home. If Hammond had any doubts, he kept them to himself, and they left it to him to try to explain their disappearance – and the loss of the research team – to the people at McMurdo.

Janet proved harder to convince, insisting on keeping both Jack and Daniel in for tests and observation. Jack was so tired he would have agreed to anything just to be allowed to lie down on a horizontal surface. He sleepwalked through her attempts to discover whether his brain was any more fried than normal, grateful when at last he was allowed to take a hot shower and fall into one of the infirmary beds. Daniel was already dead to the world in the next bed along. Damn, and they still hadn’t exchanged more than a few words since Osiris had set him free, hadn’t touched except for that brief hug in the control room.

Janet stuck her head round the door to check they were OK. Jack beckoned her over. “Is Daniel all right?” he whispered. She nodded, smiling reassuringly. “You’ll both be fine – all you need is rest.” She turned off the lamp next to Jack’s bed, straightened Jack’s pillow and within a moment Jack was asleep.

He dreamt he was flying over the Arctic icecap, down across the volcanic landscape of Iceland and on to the Atlantic, nothing below him for thousands of miles except empty ocean. On and on he flew, until finally he saw land again. It was Antarctica, but utterly transformed. Instead of ice sheets there were mountains and valleys, forests and streams, all teaming with life. Part of him realised he was seeing what the continent looked like 200 million years ago, and it slowly dawned on him that he must be dreaming. Why don’t I get to go to the Bahamas even in my dreams? he thought, and promptly woke up. He looked across to the next bed but it was empty. He called for a nurse to bring him some clothes and set off in search of Daniel.

Daniel obviously did not want to be found. He’d checked out of the base, making an early start on their two days’ leave. He wasn’t answering his phone or his cell. He hadn’t said anything to Sam or Teal’c. Jack drove over to Daniel’s flat, faintly surprised to find that it was now late afternoon. No answer, and no sign that he’d been there. He stood outside his door, trying to figure out what was going on in Daniel’s head. Maybe he just needed some time to process his latest encounter with Sarah/Osiris. Maybe he’d bought the first plane ticket to the furthest place on earth. Standing forlornly outside his front door wasn’t going to bring him back, he might as well drive home.

Struggling through his front door later with bags of groceries he half expected to find a note, or a message on his phone, but there was nothing. He unloaded the shopping and poured himself a beer. It was such a long time since he’d felt like this he hardly recognised it – this agony of uncertainty which only one person could resolve. What did Daniel want? Had Jack imagined it all? Jack knocked back half the beer in one long swallow, irritated with himself. He went into the living room and turned the sports on, willing his mind to become a complete blank. Beer helped. He finished the bottle and set it on the floor. Closing his eyes, just for a moment, he fell deeply asleep.

He was woken by a quiet tap at his window. At first he thought he’d imagined it, but there it was again. He opened his eyes to see Daniel standing outside, obviously amused to have caught Jack napping. He smiled back at him, not sure for a moment whether he was awake or dreaming. Daniel nodded towards the front door and disappeared. Jack was definitely awake. He sprang out of the couch, knocking the empty beer bottle over, and bounded down the hall. He opened the door to find Daniel on the doorstep, looking as uncertain as Jack felt. Behind him the sky was dark, and reassuringly full of stars.

“Is it too late for trick or treat?” asked Daniel, tilting his head to one side.

“Too late for tricks,” said Jack, reaching out to draw him across the threshold. Daniel chuckled softly, letting himself be pulled into the hall. The door slammed shut behind them and they stood looking at each other for a moment, Jack’s hands still resting gently on Daniel’s shoulders.

“I love you, you know,” said Daniel, his voice soft and serious. Jack found he could not breathe, never mind speak. Daniel looked deeply into his eyes and must have been satisfied by what he found there, for he drew Jack closer, and started kissing the side of Jack’s neck, up under his chin, across his cheek until finally their lips met. And it was electric, mesmerising. Jack wondered how he could have resisted the magnetic attraction of Daniel’s touch for so long. He groaned, giving up the fight, and finally let himself fall into Daniel, his one still point in a turning world.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from a poem by Mervyn Peake:
> 
> Out of the Chaos of my Doubt  
> Out of the chaos of my doubt  
> And the chaos of my art  
> I turn to you inevitably  
> As the needle to the pole  
> Turns…as the cold brain to the soul  
> Turns in its uncertainty;
> 
> So I turn and long for you;  
> So I long for you, and turn  
> To the love that through my chaos  
> Burns a truth,  
> And lights my path.


End file.
